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R.A.D. Ford
Robert Arthur Douglas Ford, CC (January 8, 1915 - April 12, 1998) was a Canadian diplomat, who served as ambassador to the U.S.S.R. (Russia). He was also a Governor General's Award-winning Canadian poet. Life Ford was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Mary Lavinia (Scott) and former London Free Press Editor-in Chief and University of Western Ontario Chancellor Arthur Rutherford Ford. He earned a B.A. in history and English in 1937 from the University of Western Ontario, and a M.A. in history in 1939 from Cornell University. He taught history at Cornell from 1938 to 1940. Ford joined the Department of External Affairs in 1940 and by 1946 was 2nd secretary at the Canadian Embassy to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) in Moscow, where he would serve much of his career. He served as ambassador to Colombia, 1957-1959; Yugoslavia, 1959-1961; the United Arab Republic, 1961-1963; and the U.S.S.R. for 16 years, 1964-1980. On retiring, he served on the Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues, and as a special adviser to the Canadian government on east-west issues. He was a fluent Russian speaker, who translated Russian poetry into English. He died at Vichy, France.Douglas Fetherling, Ford, Robert Arthur Douglas, Canadian Encyclopedia, December 13, 2013, Historica Canada. Web, Apr. 7, 2017. Writing The Canadian Encyclopedia calls Ford's poetry "distinguished by a clinical despair and a precision of language and form."Douglas Fetherling, "Ford, Robert Arthur Douglas," Canadian Encyclopedia, Edmonton: Hurtig, 1988, II, 805. Print. The Dictionary of Literary Biography remarks that Ford's "long absences from Canada have caused him to remain outside contemporary trends and movements in Canadian poetry, so that his poetry is more international in flavor than much written by Canadian poets, particularly as he has shown a wide-ranging interest in the poetry of the countries in which he has worked in Canadian embassies."R(obert) A(rthur) D(ouglass) Ford Biography, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Thomson Gale, BookRags, Web, Jun. 3, 2012. Recognition Ford's debut poetry collection, Window on the North (1956), won the 1956 Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama. In 1971, Ford was awarded the Gold Medal of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, and made a Companion of the Order of Canada.Biographical Sketch, Ford, Robert A.D., 1915-1998, Library and Archives Canada. Web, Apr. 7, 2017. Publications Poetry * Window on the North. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1956. * The Solitary City. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1969. *''Holes in Space''. Toronto: Hounslow Press, 1979. * Needle in the Eye: Poems new and old. Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press, 1983. * Doors, Words, and Silence. Oakville, ON: Mosaic Press, 1985. * Dostoevsky, and other poems. Oakville, ON, & New York: Mosaic Press, 1988. *''Coming from Afar: Selected poems, 1940-1989''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1990. *''The Poems of R.A.D. Ford''. Cork, Ireland: Rune Press, 2015.The Poems of R.A.D. Ford, Rune Press. Web, Aug. 14, 2014. Non-fiction * Our Man in Moscow: A diplomat's reflections on the Soviet Union. Toronto, & Buffalo, NY: University of Toronto Press, 1989. *''A Moscow Literary Memoir: Among the great artists of Russia from 1946 to 1980''. Toronto, & Buffalo, NY: University of Toronto Press, 1990. Translated * Russian Poetry: A personal anthology. Oakville, ON, & New York: Mosaic Press, 1984. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:R.A.D. Ford, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Centre Inc. Web, Aug. 14, 2014. Audio / video *''A Poetry Reading by R.A.D. Ford''. Toronto: League of Canadian Poets, 1983. See also * List of Canadian poets References * Charles A. Ruud, The Constant Diplomat: Robert Ford in Moscow. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009. Notes External links ;Books *''The Solitary City'' at Amazon.ca ;About *Robert Ford in the Canadian Encyclopedia *Robert A.D. Ford at Library and Archives Canada Category:1915 births Category:1998 deaths Category:Canadian poets Category:Canadian diplomats Category:Companions of the Order of Canada Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Governor General's Award winning poets Category:People from Ottawa Category:University of Western Ontario alumni Category:20th-century poets Category:Poets Category:Canadian translators Category:English-language poets Category:Translators to English